Overlord: Apocalypse
by Billie the fourth sage
Summary: 20 years since Overlord destroyed civilization, refugees led by Laura and Wing survive hidden from Overlord's reign. It is only when a white-haired, blue-eyed child appears, is this survival threatened. "What is your choice, Wing?" AU, het-homo pairings
1. Overlord

This is just a bedtime story I told Maqui T. aka White Replica turned fanfiction by her orders 8P No guarantee if I'll write the rest, but we'll see.

I write what I write. You don't like it, don't read it. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

All characters mentioned in any of Mark Walden's H.I.V.E. books belong to Mark Walden.

* * *

H.I.V.E. Apocalypse: Chapter 1

* * *

_20 years ago, the one called Overlord took sovereignty over Europe. Against it, the United States retaliated with the most advanced of weaponry. They didn't know, though, that their remote controls, their systems were easily accessible by the one called Overlord. _

The handsome man rubbed his eyes, unable to form words under the meager lamp light. He rubbed his bald head wearily, turning every now and then to see his spouse sleeping soundly on their shared futon.

Nigel returned to his writing.

_Their weapons were turned against them. Four years into the battle, what was left of the Americas were ruins and craters, few survivors still there today. It is unclear how many there are, or how effective their rebellions have been; contact has been scarce since the Overlord's domination. Or damnation, as Franz is sometimes opt to call it. _

Nigel took another look at the inviting sheets, the calmly slumbering body he found comfort in.

_Back then, Maximilian Nero, the man who was once Headmaster of the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, or H.I.V.E., fought against the takeover. He was able to set Overlord's ultimate annihilation plan another twenty or so years, but it cost him, and his most trusted general, Natalya Raven, their lives in battle. _

_That same year, we lost a close companion to the Overlord. One of our four leaders, Otto Malpense, was taken by the Overlord. We assume him dead. _

"Nigel, will you come to bed already?" Came a call, lightly accented with German. "A minute, love." Nigel called back. "One minute."

_Only six years ago did we lose another of our leaders; Shelby Trinity-Fanchu, to a raid by Overlord. Ever since that day, our drive to fight has been diminished. Now, we are only trying to survive. _

Nigel got up from the table, rubbing his tired eyes, wanting tears that never could come. He blew out the lamp light and slipped between the sheets, a strong arm wrapping around him as Nigel drifted into slumber.

* * *

Wing Fanchu lit another cigarette and stared out into the darkness, his well-trained eyes spotting any movement. The local wildlife that were unfortunate enough to start the sleepless man became the next day's supper.

Laura Brand walked out to the entrance, where Wing stood, or more aptly, sat guard. "I brought you some coffee. Nigel-grown, so they're gonna keep you going for another few hours." Said the redhead.

The woman, adjusting the glasses resting on the tip of her nose, nearly tripped over something at her feet. "Poor bunny. What did he do to deserve this fate?" She wondered sarcastically, sitting beside Wing and away from the gunned down bunny pile.

"We've been having game shortage, and not everyone can live on NDA-grown tubers." Said Wing, putting his gun down at his side wearily. "Nigel-grown tubers are delicious and nutritious, meat man. And I hope you've been using the silencer. We don't want Overlord A-raiders to get attracted to the sound of your big guns."

"A-raiders aren't being used anymore." Said Wing shortly. "Just in case, though. And even if the common raiders don't pick up sound, it's still a risk." Said Laura. She leaned on Wing's shoulder, the two of them sharing warmth in the chilly evening.

"Don't worry, I've been using the silencer. I'm not an idiot, Laura." Wing said bitterly. "I know, Wing." Laura placated. "I miss her too." She whispered, leaning closer to her best friend. The two sat in silence til dawn, when Wing's replacement sentry came to relieve him.

* * *

The current hideout extended underground, a veritable catacomb. Children never strayed from their parents, and a fair few memorized the paths without referencing the maps kept at hand by the refugees.

The H.I.V.E. students, every one from first to sixth year the time Overlord had first decided to act, stayed together. Their children grew up with them, running from the Overlord, losing a number from fighting against him the first decade. Everyone there acknowledged the leadership of the Three, now depleted to the Two. Wing, Shelby and Laura had brought the students to safety long ago, as per orders of Nero.

For twenty years, they'd gone past the time of fighting and literally went underground, hiding where Overlord could not find them. The day Overlord bombed every continent, wiping out a good two-thirds of the population, they knew they had nothing else to do but survive.

Many of them were convinced that Overlord had already won. All they could do was survive.

And survive they did, for the last six years, in this underground catacomb. They'd moved there since the last raid, that which took the life of one of their most trusted and powerful leaders.

There was a memorial somewhere in the catacombs. Nigel grew the most beautiful luminescent flowers there in the darkness, where dozens of stones, crosses, and other symbols lay methodically, each in memory of a different death in the colony of refugees.

Shelby's memorial consisted of a single blue, glowing flower. Around its stem was a ring, the wedding ring Shelby had been given by Wing ten years prior. Beneath it, an unusual crystal had Shelby's name etched on it with the utmost care and love.

Laura stood before this flower. "Hey, Shel." She said quietly. "Wing's still brooding. You know the guy. He's a little more talkative nowadays, since he stopped counting on you to talk for him. I think I already told you that, but... Well, it's kinda weird nowadays. Especially since he's been shooting bunnies. Bunnies! I ask you..."

Laura knelt, smiling sadly. "Wing's not the only one who misses you, you damnable yank diva. We all do. Things have fallen back into a cycle, and we're actually grasping a small sense of normality in the new refuge. But it just gives me time to think about what we've lost."

She brought out some food and set up a picnic. Laura brought her long red hair back in a ponytail and looked up as though someone had spoken. "Oh? Yeah, I grew it out. I don't care if you think it makes me look frumpy. Not like I've got anything to gain by cutting it. And... you always used to say you liked the color. Consider it your fault that I haven't dyed my hair blond or something. Ah, never mind. Blond's your color. Wing would never forgive me."

Laura laughed a hollow laugh. "Wing misses you. Damn, it took him ten years to get over Otto going, and I don't think it'll be so easy with you. He really loved you. Still does. He still wears the ring.

"Speaking of rings, and... well, tying the knot and all... You know Nigel got married? Recently. Like, half a year ago. Okay, so not THAT recently, but I haven't found the time to come down and talk for a while. Last time was like... nine months back."

Laura fidgeted. "Guess who it was." She said, smirking, acting as they used to when they shared secrets as friends so long ago.

"Go on, guess."

The silence wasn't broken by anything. Laura took a bite out of a cherry she brought out of the miniature picnic basket.

"All right, I'll tell you. You ready?"

"It's Franz." She said after a dramatic silence, laughing heartily, almost imagining Shelby's own shrill laughter, like they were teenagers, roommates once more. "Well, they've been so close that it wasn't as much of a surprise as I thought it should be, you know? But yeah, you'd think maybe life-long friends or something. The team. Marriage was... well, a shocker."

"But you know. It was nice. Short thing. No one really minds, except some of the kids are still trying to wrap their senses around it. And even if there's some discrimination, it's not smart to antagonize the two men who run the food supply. They'd otherwise be cooking furry rabbits they had to get from Wing shooting in the middle of the damn night. And I don't even think Wing would let them, considering that Nigel and Franz are our friends. Right?"

Laura allowed herself a few more laughs, then just sat and chewed on sweet red cherries.

"We haven't been trying to destroy Overlord. Not since your death. Wing's still a little angry about the whole thing, but since we lost Tahir, no one's been driven enough to try anymore. Our numbers barely even exceed double digits, and half of the population are the children. We do our best to remain unnoticed. We got to contact another camp off the coast, so we're sending a team off next week."

An echo of noise made Laura turn around.

"Oh, Laura, didn't expect to see you here today." Nigel greeted Laura with a smile, nodding to the memorial. "So how's Shelby?" He asked. "Quiet as always, Nigel." Laura said, smiling back.

"Hm."

"So, what are you doing here?" Laura asked. "I always come to tend to the plants here, each week. When they've already harvested the fast-growing hybrids." Nigel responded, showing his tools to the technician. "Oh. Okay."

"You haven't been around for a while." Nigel observed. "Been busy." Laura defended. "I've been working on some barriers. Well actually, the barriers themselves are no problem; I've been piling up sleepless nights trying to assemble a code that even Overlord couldn't crack."

"If anyone could do it, it'd definitely be you, Laura." Nigel said encouragingly.

Laura nodded, sitting in silence as Nigel tended to the luminescent flowers. At least, she mused, Nigel could bring life with his hands.

Next to him, Laura felt useless.

* * *

.end chapter one.

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A/N:

Review 8D And yes, I DID just pair them up. I warned you.


	2. Child

Okay, so it was only an idea, but I'm glad people want more xD

Here's chapter two.

Characters you find in the HIVE books by Mark Walden are owned by said man.

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H.I.V.E. Apocalypse: Chapter 2

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Wing Fanchu dreamt of his wife that morning.

She was, and always had been, his best friend. They challenged each other, led equally, comprised the same amount of strength needed to support the people they cared for.

Somewhere along the line did they find romance in this, easily making the decision to marry, knowing that they were bound to each other all their lives either way.

For the four years they spent together as husband and wife, they had some dream of happiness amidst the turmoil. They protected the refuge, made sure no raiders or any of Overlord's mindless drones could take them away. They managed weaponry, kept up arms, trained the soldiers who would protect the others, same as them.

Laura was Shelby's maid of honor, at the time, and Nigel was Wing's best man, with a small ceremony on the plateau under which they used to live.

That very same plateau was now swarmed with drones, drinking the blood of old friends deep in the soil. Wing thought of friends departed, and eventually brought his thoughts to one particular, one who hadn't been forgotten even after sixteen years.

Otto. They never did know what happened to him.

Wing still remembered the last he saw of his first best friend.

* * *

"_Otto! Where are you going?!" Wing arrived at the Atrium to see Otto running across the bridge above him. He tensed when an explosion from the outside caused the entire room to shake, sending Otto off-balance for a moment. _

"_I have a plan, Wing! To shut down Overlord!" He called down. _

"_Wha—" "I'll meet you at the docking bay! You have to keep the armada out of H.I.V.E. long enough for Raven and Dr. Nero to finish what they started!" _

"_Otto!" Wing called out. The younger male, white hair flashing in the glare of the light, turned back._

"_Be careful!" He bade his best friend. _

_Otto nodded. He was smiling. _

_And he was gone.

* * *

_

It was the dream he had a fortnight ago. In truth, there were only two things he ever dreamt about. One was Otto.

The other was Shelby.

* * *

_The night was cold when they kept watch. They enjoyed the cold, or at least Shelby did. _

"_How could you possibly enjoy below zero freezes in the middle of the summer?" Wing wondered irritably, accepting the hot drink she'd fetched. "It gives me an excuse." Shelby said cheerily, putting his arm around her shoulders. _

"_An excuse to cuddle." She said teasingly. Wing shook his head and settled back. "Oh, was that a smile I saw?" Shelby exclaimed, poking at Wing's cheek. "The night air is making you delusional." Wing replied, feigning seriousness. Shelby giggled, leaning into Wing's warmth. The night was quiet, with the occasional breeze upsetting the nearby trees. _

"_Laura, something's been tracked on the outer gate." Said Jean Deuen, an older student running the security grid. "Is that a heat signature? Human?" Laura said, squinting at the radar. _

"_Looks like it."_

_Laura switched on the communication, watching the screens where feed from one of their entrances showed Shelby and Wing standing, or rather, sitting guard. _

"_Hey love birds, we may have a live one coming your way." Laura said, slightly amused. Shelby looked up at the camera. Wing nodded. _

_Laura switched feeds to the other entrances. No activity was shown, although where one of their night watchers, Peter Phelps, was supposed to be, was an unguarded entrance. _

"_Ugh. Can anyone watch entrance five? Pete's gone off." Laura broadcasted to the other watchers._

_Shelby caught the broadcast and detached herself from her husband. "You go." She convinced him. "I can take care of things here." _

_Wing, without arguing, kissed Shelby and made his way to the fifth entrance, wondering where Peter had gone. _

_Laura switched off her communication and watched the feeds. By the time Wing had arrived at the last entrance, Shelby had stood, her hand cautiously on the holster of her gun. A shadow, a human shadow, made Shelby hesitate. Laura opened communications. "Shel?! What's going on?"_

_Shelby put down her gun and walked towards the shadow, leaving the sight of the security camera. _

"_Shelby!" Laura shouted. At her volume, Shelby should have gone deaf; the latter still had her receiver switched on. But there was no response. _

_Laura ran. _

"_Shel!? **SHELBY!!!**"

* * *

_

"Laura! Laura!?"

The redhead was shaken by the shoulders. She grabbed the hands on her shoulders and looked up, meeting the eyes of a serious-looking Franz. "You had me worried there for a moment." Said the latter. "How long was I out?" Laura asked wearily, brushing back sweat-soaked hair.

"I wouldn't know. I only arrived just now. I know you do not get as much sleep, but I decided not to let whatever was disturbing you do so any further." Franz told her, handing Laura a clean rag. Looking down at the table, the redhead realized that it was soaked with her sweat, almost a gallon's worth darkening a large spot in the wood.

"I heard you shouting." Said the blond, wiping more sweat off the back of her neck with a washcloth.

Laura knit her eyebrows wearily. "It doesn't leave this room, Franz."

"Please." She whispered, hiding her face in her cold palms.

* * *

"Something tracked on the outer gate." Said Yulie Rogers warningly. Laura snapped up, so quickly that her neck echoed a very distinct snap. "What?"

"It's coming up hot. Might be human, or at least, biological."

Laura glared at the younger girl, who shrank back with wide eyes. "Uhm—" "Find out what it is." Laura ordered swiftly.

The frightened girl quickly checked all the information coming up on the grid. "Um, four feet approximately. It's moving too slowly to be a drone, unless it's damaged, but the heat signature is that of a regular human. It's walking, or at least making contact with the ground."

Laura fixed her glasses and stormed out of the room. "I'll be right back, Rogers. Keep watch for me." She said.

* * *

Wing noticed it, second to Laura Brand, with only his eyes to depend on as he guarded the outer rim.

The sun was glaring from behind afternoon clouds, blinding Wing only when he stood in the rays. From under shade, he saw perfectly. He saw the all-too human figure trudging its way toward their hideout.

Wing moved towards the figure, gun poised. The figure stopped in its tracks and simply stood there, a few dozen yards from where Wing stood.

The man didn't know how long the two just stood there, but the figure refused to advance. It seemed to transfer its weight from one foot to another, its shadow reflecting the twitching movements.

"Who goes there?" Wing demanded. His voice seemed to trigger something, as the figure moved forward, breaking into a run toward Wing. The latter got ready to fire, but lay down his weapon at the last second.

It was a child. Its distance from the entrance gave the illusion of height, shadowed under the sun. The little one soon got to Wing, panting as it struggled to catch its breath. It was difficult to tell if the child was male or female; it wore too-large garments that could have been taken from one of the abandoned stores in the nearer cities, and its hair and face was stained with sand and grime.

"Are you all right?" Wing asked, kneeling down to level with the child. The little one coughed loudly, dust sprinkling from its hair.

Its **white** hair.

Wing grabbed the little one by the shoulders, brushing dust off clothes and off hair, wiping the face with the back of his right hand. The child allowed him to roughly clean its face, surveying Wing with piercing blue eyes.

Wing brushed dust off the child's hair. It cleaned up white.

Wing's eyes were wide, his gun forgotten at his side as he held the little one in a tight grip.

The child looked, as far as Wing could remember, exactly like a younger Otto.

Perhaps only six or seven years old, every feature seemed like what Otto could have been as he grew. The only differences could be justified by the child's lack of growth. Otherwise, it was very much **Otto**.

* * *

"We had Jana clean him up. Franz is feeding him in the kitchens. Poor kid was in bad shape; it didn't look like he'd eaten in a week already, maybe longer." Laura said. She removed her glassed and began rubbing them vigorously on her blouse, squeezing the bridge of her nose before replacing them.

"What if it's a trick? Maybe they'd made another clone. To infiltrate?" Wing suggested darkly. At the circular table, he, Laura and Nigel sat. There were seven chairs in all, but only four were left to occupy these seats, and three were present at this time.

"We checked him. There isn't any recording equipment in him aside from his brain for human memory, and he's completely biological. The kid's as human as you or I."

"Then what? Should we believe that it was a complete coincidence that this boy, who HAPPENS to look exactly like Otto, wanders in close proximity to our camp?"

"I think we should at least consider the fact that the boy is as lost as he looks." Nigel said.

"We don't have the luxury of being lax, Nigel."

"I apologize if I showed some human sympathy." Nigel responded bitingly. He and Wing glowered at each other. "All right, you two. Nigel, we have to consider anything a threat now, so Wing's distrust is valid. But it doesn't mean we're turning the boy out. We'll interrogate him once he decides to start talking, examine him some more." Laura said, cutting off the argument.

"In the meantime, he stays. I don't care who he looks like or the circumstances under which he came to us." She added. The expressions on both Nigel and Wing's faces showed that they weren't convinced, but they dropped the issue.

Laura frowned at both men and left the room, once again squeezing the bridge of her nose.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Laura, you may want to take a closer look at the boy."

Laura turned around. "Oh, Franz. How is he?"

"He's eating, ravenously. He doesn't seem to have a problem with anyone around here, and is as happy as a puppy. Only that..."

"What?"

"He cannot talk. Or, I would assume he cannot. Maybe he does not want to, but I believe he's not able."

"Why do you say that?"

The two walked down the path, twisting left, circling right, climbing stairs through places any normal person would get lost in. "He burned his hand on one of the pots, but he did not make a sound. Any normal child would, and he even opened his mouth as if to, but as of now, he's silent as a lamb."

"I see. Well, lambs can bleat." Laura said passively. "We'll see about this kid."

* * *

.end chapter one.

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Review or no more chapters for you OwO


	3. Apologize

A little shorter this time, but for your reading pleasure, I have added a few recognizable extras X3

If you wanna be part too, (we are in serious need of extra people) give a name (first and last preferably) that can represent you. It'd be fun if you gave both a male and a female name, because we seem to lack men too xP

In general, we need extras. GO EXTRAS! Details on their character/behavior'd be good.

People who were present in HIVE belong to Walden.

* * *

la.

* * *

They arrived at the kitchen. The boy sat at a wooden table, fiddling with a rabbit bone and looking quite satisfied.

"Hey, kid."

The child looked up at Laura. "Do you have a name?" Laura asked.

The boy shook his head.

"You don't remember?"

The boy shook his head again.

"Oh. Well then, can you talk?"

This was responded to with a shrug and a shake of the head.

"Well, we obviously have some work to do if you're staying. My name is Laura Brand. Laura. That's just for reference, mind you. Many people here don't trust you, myself included."

The boy nodded. Laura turned on her heel and gestured for him to follow. Before he did, though, the boy grabbed a notebook from the shelf and a pencil, both of which he shoved into the over-sized pockets in the clothes he was given.

"So you can write?" Laura asked, mentally chiding herself for not asking the boy preemptively.

The boy nodded. "What's your name?" Laura asked.

It was then that the child shook his head.

Laura sighed. "You don't have one. That's just great."

The way Laura was talking, the child wondered if he had done anything wrong. The man who had found him outside had treated him with brisk action, but showed concern nonetheless. The large man who had given him food was firm but kind, teaching him how to eat properly and making sure that he was comfortable. The woman Jana was truly sweet as she helped him into new clothes, though she spoke of things he couldn't understand.

This woman, though... Laura Brand... seemed neither concerned with his welfare nor kind to him. She was asking him questions so brusquely that the child felt bad each time he failed to answer properly. He had no voice to answer with, to be fair, but the tone the woman took with him caused a sinking feeling in the child's stomach.

Laura looked down at the child, suddenly seeing his fearful eyes.

_Perfect, Brand. Just perfect. Now look what you've done; he's gonna cry. _Chided the memory of Shelby's voice.

Ever since they'd gone underground, Laura was always like this. She got things done. She was strict with people, but that was only to keep things in order. She was fair, and people knew she had to keep things this way.

But then, she realized, the boy didn't know.

He, unlike the other children present in the refugee camp, was not taught to get used to Laura's method of leadership. First impressions were important, and Laura had just scared this child half to death on hers.

She rubbed her forehead and brought her hand to the bridge of her nose.

"Um... kid... little boy... Are you comfortable?" She asked carefully. The boy looked up at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry if I sounded... well... disapproving. Unkind. I apologize for my behavior." She said.

She knelt to level with him, showing him a smile that she remembered she could do when she spent time with friends. "It's very dangerous everyday, and I only wanted to keep things in check. It's not common for someone to come to our camp from the outside, especially if they're alone. Most of the survivors of the Overlord takeover gathered into different refuges. We keep in touch with each other at times."

The child listened carefully, nodding as she explained.

"To be frank, we're just suspicious. You understand? It's been my job to be suspicious for years now, and it's what's been keeping a number of us alive. We don't want you to feel like you're not welcome, but you have to give us the chance to make sure."

"Is that... okay?" She asked. The boy nodded understandingly.

Laura smiled, for real. "Well while you're here, though, we're going to need to give you a name." She said.

She pretended to think for a moment. The first thing that came into her mind was probably the perfect thing, but she had her doubts if she should give him that name at all.

Decisions, decisions. Laura sighed.

* * *

Wing entered the cafeteria, the largest chamber in the entire refuge. It could house the entire camp, as it served its purpose to feed it. Today, the chamber was half-filled with scattered members. Adults originating from H.I.V.E. sat with their children or old friends, eating a stew made from Wing's massacre of rabbits.

Caroline chased Kellie J. across the room, brushing past Wing as she gave chase to the one who had stolen her beloved Shugo Chara manga.

"You'd think they'd behave, what with mummy dearest finishing her job for the day." Rose commented from the next table. The assistant head botanist greeted Wing in earnest before returning to her meal, catching both Caroline and Kellie as they ran back past her.

"You two sit or else you'll get the business end of Dignity's light blade shoved up your—"

"Two more batches! The end-shifters are coming in in a few minutes!"

The assigned cooks hurried around the kitchen, a number of others bringing the enormous pans. Everyone did their part for the little colony, and there was no exception in the enormous family.

Wing sat down beside Nigel, the latter taking care of some records while eating an unusually long and twisted banana, about twenty inches, twisted over itself like a ram's horn.

"Trying to be subtle, I see." Wing quipped. "Ha. Ha. You intending to torture me too?" Nigel said, obviously not in a better mood.

"Just coming for a bite." Wing defended. "Laura again?" He added. "Laura, yes. She wanted to take care of the kid for the day, and Laura doesn't trust Rogers enough to make her do IMPORTANT fucking paperwork." Nigel replied.

"Aren't you glad she trusts you?" Wing murmured, amused. "Now, not so much. She doesn't trust anybody, Wing, aside from you or my husband. Even some of the others from the old days don't even count on the list we're apparently part of." Nigel said, sorting the papers one-handed.

"Only since..." Wing stopped.

Nigel stopped as well, knowing what Wing meant.

There was silence between them for a moment, the kind impermeable even by the buzzing noise of the cafeteria.

"Where did you say Laura went?" Wing asked, changing the subject.

"Either to the lab or the memorials." Nigel replied, returning to his task.

Wing stood up. "Aren't you going to eat?" Nigel asked.

Wing took the quarter-eaten banana from his hand and took off.

* * *

8D

* * *

I like reviews. As such, they make me write.


	4. Otto

Lalala. If you wanna be in the story too, just ask 8D

* * *

"Scans show no sign of drone activity."

"Clear for charge?"

"On my signal."

Amaya squinted through her optic scanner and gave a signal. The unit dispersed into the empty streets of Edinburgh, passing a ravaged bookshop which seemed just about burnt from the inside out, the remains of pages scattered on the street before it among ash fall.

The head of the raiders carefully surveyed the area as she found high ground. She set her disruptor for security's sake.

"Amaya! How'd you get up there?"

Tanya waved to their unit leader, who had somehow found a way to perch herself up top of a two-story building. "Come join me! We've got a clear view of the immediate area here. Climb the rubble over here." Amaya instructed, pointing to her left. She gestured to broken rungs of the decimated building, collapsed right onto the edge of the two-story.

"Right. Do you see the others?" Tanya asked, methodically climbing the debris and skipping over the rest. "Everyone's accounted for." Replied the leader, her eyes traveling over the streets. She squinted in the glare of the sunset, suddenly spotting something on the horizon.

She zoomed in with her optic scanner.

"Oh no." She murmured. "What is it?" Tanya questioned urgently.

"How many drones can you see?" Amaya demanded. Tanya squinted as well. "A dozen? No wait... Twen— Fif—" Tanya set her optic scanner. "Oh god."

"They're heading towards the camp!" Amaya jumped down from the building, rolling on impact with the street. Some of their team mates hurried over to see if she was all right.

"Amaya, what do you think you—"

"Drones! Overlord raiders! Giant fucking carriers! I haven't seen so many since the first wave." Amaya said breathlessly.

The others gathered, the shock apparent on their faces as they heard the news.

"We have to get back to the camp before they do." Said Tanya.

"But it's a half-day trip on foot."

"Then we find a faster way. Anyone notice an auto shop nearby?" Asked Amaya.

"Well no, but I saw..." One of their newer team members volunteered.

"What is it?"

"Well... It's pretty grassy near here. Most of the cars are too far gone to be used, but what about..."

They stared at him expectantly.

"Horses?"

* * *

Wing found Laura in the library and records area, the boy nestled beside her as she spoke.

"He was a good guy. Always a wee bit stranger, a special kind of stranger, than we ever were." Laura said. "The last time... well, he was a fool. He went suicide mode just to bring back HIVEmind— I told you about him too, right?— for a short while. Just long enough to transport us all to safety. Big blue died as soon as we realized Otto was gone. We don't know if he died then, but if he were still alive, he'd have come back to us by now." Laura removed her glasses and wiped her eyes.

The boy pat her shoulder comfortingly, getting up when Wing emerged. "Oh, Wing." Laura said, her voice attempting to regain control. "I'm glad, Laura, that you trust the boy enough to have done all that." Wing said sincerely, taking the boy's hand when it was raised before him.

"He's named, Wing." Laura said carefully. She fixed her hair as Wing's eyes widened with realization. "If I know you, then—"

"Otto, Wing. His name is Otto." Laura intoned, leaving no room for contradiction.

* * *

"Miss Brand, Unit Leader One has come into contact." Said Rogers.

"Amaya? Then she's within four miles?" Laura asked. "Yes, and she's patching through." Rogers switched to speaker.

"_bzz__—Laura! We've got—oh fu—TROUBLE!"_

"Calm down Amaya! What is it?"

"_It—Damn ar—"_

"What?!"

"—_AN ARMY!!! OVERLORD'S ARMY IS COMING!"_

* * *

A/N: That's all folks.


	5. Cloaks

Because of an enthusiastic review, (you know who you are) I WENT OVERLOAD ON OVERLORD.

Sorry if it's short D8 I promise to get back into the groove.

Characters belong to Mark Walden, me, and the HIVE forum. ;)

* * *

"—_AN ARMY!!! OVERLORD'S ARMY IS COMING!"_

_

* * *

  
_

Sheer chaos. That was all it was.

The passages were becoming congested, from the lower housing regions to the larger working areas, everyone scrambling to the SQUARE, the second largest open in the refuge next to the eating room.

It was Elliot who accounted for all seventy-seven refugees in the square, rallied to the center in lines. Some children who had just woken up were restless, one or two of them crying.

"All right, so everyone who needs to be here is here." Elliot said, scanning the crowd in case there was anyone he missed. "So you all know the drill. You have all the things you need? You can only carry what's important, and no more." He said loudly.

The people nodded and murmured assent, keeping satchels to themselves and keeping their children close at hand.

"The escape routes go straight into the cliffs and open at the river. Once there, Ignis will bring faction A to the assigned hideout on the base of the opposite cliff. Faction B will be led by Adrian down the river, and C gets James, who'll lead to the forest."

With some semblance to order now splitting the factions, Wing returned to the security room.

Laura was monitoring the movement of the drones, appearing as little red dots blinking on their sonar. A **LOT** of red dots. Quite a number, hundreds more machines than they had people.

"They're about an thirty-five minutes off, unless they pick up speed now. Wing, are the factions split? They have to get out now."

"Yes, Ignis and the others are already guiding them through the escape routes. Some of our special forces are searching for any possible stragglers, in case someone got lost after Elliot's head count." Wing responded. He looked down to see the boy, Otto, standing closely beside Laura.

"We should send him with the factions." Wing said to Laura. "No. I want to keep a close eye on him." Laura replied.

Wing looked as though he would readily argue, but bit his lip as another call patched through on their line. Yulie Rogers answered quickly. "Yes. All right, we're sending someone to meet you up."

Laura's assistant turned to the others in the room. "Amaya's team is on the outer rim."

"All right. Wing, get some of your people together and intercept the unit." Laura ordered.

Wing nodded and turned to go, stopping only when he heard a sound, much like a whimper, coming from a little lower than his point of view.

Otto had scurried over and hugged Wing around the waist, looking near tears. Wing knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently at the child. Emotions ran high, but none of them showed in Wing's face, which put on a calm expression to keep the tears of a child at bay.

Laura silently retreated, to take care of surveillance on the escape routes.

* * *

They jumped down from the launching point and ran across the barren, sun-bathed earth. They wore their cloaks white, the sunlight making them invisible.

* * *

"Laura's sending out the Cloaks to intercept us." Tanya said, urging her steed on. There were a dozen horses, a few carrying two of Amaya's unit, the others solo and in the lead.

Amaya hung on to Tanya's arms as she squinted over her second-in-command's shoulder. In the direction of the hideout, she tried as best as she could to spot the elite unit, and soon did, catching a glimpse of the black underside of the Cloak elites' signature raiments.

"Whoa!"

Every horse was slowed in mid-run, trotting only for a few seconds and whinnying in shock as near-invisible people jumped behind the solo riders. There were six of them, the Cloaks who were the most well-trained operatives and trump cards of the refugee camp. One of them lifted the white hoods.

"Wing!" Tanya exclaimed.

"Hurry. Everyone's already evacuated. You can follow Faction A to the cliff side." Wing said urgently.

"Also, I'll need a horse." He added in afterthought.

Without asking why, two people from Unit One dismounted and got up with the others. The Cloaks saluted their leader and Amaya's Team rode into the crevices, a maze that would conceal them from the ever-nearing drones.

Wing mounted the horse, a restless Palomino, and rode back towards their soon-to-be abandoned home.

* * *

A/N: It's getting there.

* * *

8D SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO HAPPEN? Any suggestions will be taken. This will be fan-run for the most part


	6. Relocation

AUGH, MY BACK.

Okay, so I wrote all this in the span of thirty minutes. After soooo long. I lost the original file.

I'm sorry, please forgive me D8

And we go-

* * *

Laura had done the last checks, and sent (barked) everyone out of the—what was once and would no longer be—their home. She was proud of their appointed sub-leaders for making it out in record time. Now she had to get out herself, as soon as Amaya's team arrived with the Cloaks.

She'd sent Otto off with Dignity, told her to take care of him while she acted as a leader should act. Everyone was gone, and she could feel the ground rumbling below and above her. They were so close. Her mouth felt dry, but she had to be patient. Wait. Wait...

She was startled when something came up behind her. She was half-way through throwing the other over her shoulder when a familiar yelp stopped her. "Rogers! What are you doing here?"

Yulie Rogers looked frazzled from the almost-throw, but she collected herself quickly.

"Uhm. I was worried about you, boss. I mean, me and the others... Well, we should go!" she said. "Rogers, shut up and leave. I'm waiting for the Cloaks and—" Laura wasn't able to finish her sentence. A tremor shook them both off their feet, the effect akin to what might happen had a blast destroyed the upper parts of their homestead.

And that was exactly what had happened.

"Shit." Laura said, shortly and appropriately. She grabbed Rogers' hand and pulled her towards one of the open entrances. It was dangerous, but sending Rogers back down to the emergency exits when the tunnels were structurally unsound was even more dangerous and Laura reasoned that it was Yulie's own fault, so she should face the consequences.

"Boss, look!" Rogers said as they reached the near-surface. They both saw—one horse moving past the enormous legs of the machines. Wing was with them only a few seconds ahead of the drones.

"You should have left, Laura!" Wing said, holding a hand out to both of them. "Do you have it?" Laura demanded. Wing looked at her questioningly for a moment, but then realized what she meant and took something out from his pocket. It was a memory stick, one from Tanya's assessor, something Laura had created long ago. It pulled codes from the simpler drones, which Laura could use to her advantage.

She input the codes from the stick to her pocket drive and flipped the switch. "We'd better go, right now." she said, quickly mounting behind Rogers, who was sandwiched between her and Wing.

Wing set the horse on a hard run just as a terrible screeching sounded from the machines they passed.

When they were a safe distance away, Rogers looked back. What she saw was the chain reaction of the explosions rooting from every small land drone, which took down the larger drones almost too easily. The result was one giant lights show and a mushroom cloud of the home they left behind. The people they buried...

They would be buried forever deep beneath the earth, never to be disturbed again and only ever remembered by friends and family who were likely to die themselves.

It wasn't a pleasant thought. Rogers felt the weight of Laura's forehead on the back of her right shoulder as they rode on, and she was almost certain she felt tears warm the cloth there. She said nothing.

* * *

Everyone was gathered at the base of a cliff a little ways from the chaos, far enough and hidden enough to be safe for maybe a week. That was the hope, anyway. Some children were crying, but the majority simply wore looks of calm defeat. They were the ones who had gotten used to it. Running.

When Wing, Laura and Yulie Rogers arrived, they were greeted with questioning faces. The good news was, Laura said, they were able to destroy most, maybe all of the drones and the larger machines. Also, they weren't followed. She didn't have to mention the bad news; people felt it all around. They'd lost their home. They had to find a new place to settle now.

"I know a place," Innokentiy, Inno, their resident Russian, volunteered. "Near the Thames. The drones and all of Overlord's machines moved away from there a long time ago, right?"

Laura shook her head. "Unless we're desperate, Inno, we have to stay away from cities. We don't know what could be left over from Overlord's reign and the machinery is too dangerous."

"The beach?" Tam suggested over Inno's shoulder.

Laura looked thoughtful. "Could be. We'll check the areas and decide. Tomorrow. Tonight, let's just rest. It's been a long day."

She wandered around the camp. Franz was distributing food to the rest, but she didn't feel hungry. She was so tired. Not from the ordeal. Not from the adrenaline rush.

She lost Shelby. Of course, that had happened way long ago, but she had something to remember her by. She felt the inexplicable need to set up another memorial, but she knew she couldn't do that until they settled somewhere.

Suddenly, Otto entered her mind. _Oh crap, Otto!_

She couldn't believe she'd forgotten.

She started looking around for the kid, looking for Dignity. She was panicking a little by the time she reached Dignity, but Otto was nowhere to be seen around her.

"Oh, hey Laura."

"Dignity, where's Otto!" Laura demanded, louder than she'd wanted to ask. Dignity blinked. "He's fine. He's with Wing." she said, placating.

Laura looked over to where she pointed and saw Wing, little Otto in his lap while they both ate the stew Franz had given. Otto looked calm, happy, but also a little worried, if Laura read him right.

His face lit right up when she approached. Wing looked up, and silently gestured for her to sit with them. "Hungry?" he asked, monosyllabic, as she took her place with them near one of the many camp fires. "Ugh, no, I think I'll vomit anything I eat now." she replied.

"Sleep then." Wing said wisely, pointing to one of the bed rolls. "I know you're just going to strain yourself tomorrow. So rest, Laura."

Laura looked at Otto. "He'll be fine. Don't worry." Wing said softly.

"Sure. Okay."

And with that, she slept.

* * *

-back cracks-

you know the drill. I also posted art of this: atemozzarella. deviantart. com /art / H-I-V-E-Overlord-Apocalypse-183191460 (remove spaces) Which prompted me to continue ;)


End file.
